In an edition of the Art Biennale marked by protests against Israel and Russia, the queer artist of the Japanese pavilion, Ei Arakawa-Nash, has placed himself in a much more personal space. His project, titled Grass babies, moon babies [Grass babies, moon babies], is, at the same time, humanist, political, and a bit comical. Arakawa-Nash has filled the pavilion with about 208 baby dolls of different races, available for visitors to hug – they weigh about six kilos – and take for a walk in a stroller. They all wear sunglasses so that whoever holds them can see themselves reflected while holding them.

The protest called by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) against Israel's presence at the Venice Art Biennale has had consequences. The Giardini venue opened its doors at 10 in the morning with many pavilions closed, including those of Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, and Japan. The situation of the Spanish pavilion, on the other hand, has been bizarre: it started the day open, but closed at two in the afternoon "due to the artistic team's strike." A quarter of an hour later, sources from the pavilion stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had communicated that they had been forced to reopen, and immediately afterwards that they were closing until 3 p.m., while "conversations were ongoing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs," a portfolio from which the pavilion depends. Finally, the pavilion reopened at 3 p.m.

Catalonia and the Balearic Islands take center stage at the 61st Venice Art Biennale. The project by Claudia Pagès Paper tears [Paper tears] gains momentum with a poetic and political slam by Pagès herself and her collaborators that ranges from the most intimate to political and social critique, addressing the ravages of colonialism. The starting point for her discourses are a string of 15th-century watermarks found in the Museu Molí Paperer de Capellades. "Crowned heart. Crowned heart. Incel's dream. incel. 1486. Crowned love is not love. It is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Little emperor, everyone loves you as long as you keep them alive! What strange references," says one of these texts.

Where God invites, everyone has a place. Patti Smith, who still sings that Jesus died for someone's sins, but not hers, now glosses the virginity of the Virgin Mary in a poem that can be heard in the Vatican pavilion of the Venice Art Biennale. To hear Smith, and about twenty other artists, including Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Dev Hynes, Terry Riley, and Jim Jarmusch, you have to get away from the center of Venice and go to the paradisiacal Mystical Garden of the Carmelites of Venice, one of the least crowded corners of the city, just behind the train station. The trip, despite the rain these days, is worth it. The proposal is by star curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, it is titled The ear is the eye of the soul andis inspired by Hildegard of Bingen, the great mystic, scientist, composer of the 12th century. The pavilion staff hand out headphones at the entrance, and the visit consists of walking through the garden in silence listening to the twenty or so works, among which there are also those by musicians who delve into spirituality such as Meredith Monk, Kali Malone, and Charlemagne Palestine.

The 61st Venice Art Biennale continues with fury. This Wednesday the protests against the presence of Russia and Israel have been more forceful. As they had warned, more than 50 people linked to the activists Pussy Riot, with their faces covered by pink balaclavas, have occupied the Russian pavilion, along with a string of members of the Femen collective. The Italian police were forced to close the pavilion while agents and security guards subdued the activists who had managed to enter. Outside, the tension continued: the protesters sang the song Desobeeix amid a cloud of pink smoke and the Femen members advanced shouting slogans amid a cloud of blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Artists have the ability to reveal the hidden stories in the most everyday objects and in almost invisible details. Thus, Clàudia Pagès represents Catalonia and the Balearic Islands at the 61st Venice Art Biennale with Paper tears, a macro-installation forged from 15th-century watermarks found at the Capellades Paper Mill Museum. Watermarks, also known as filigrees, are used to identify the maker of a paper and the person who commissioned it. Throughout history, some have been as simple as a cross, but others have been more elaborate, such as a coat of arms or images of real or fantastical animals. "I am not a historian; I use history during my research, and I make it my own through a mix of visual arts and writing," says Pagès, who is also the author of the novel Més de dues aigües (Empúries).

At the Venice Art Biennale, everything is quite for show: in each edition, almost a hundred countries from around the world proudly display their artists with the aim that, at least for a few days, politics does not overshadow the desire to shine internationally. But given the situation of international politics, with Russia, Israel, and the United States at war, this is still impossible. The 61st edition of the Biennale opened its doors to professionals this Tuesday and will open its doors to the public on Saturday, May 9th, with an edition on fire, and with the participation in the official section of Cuba, represented by Roberto Diago. So far, no signs of protest have been seen, but there is a call for a strike on Friday.